Except for homocide and extremely violent crimes (which make up less than 1% of all crimes), Canada’s crime rate is pretty much the same as the States, indeed in some categories it is even higher.

I would, howver, like to see ALL drugs decriminalized and legally available. In the U.S., about 60% of the prison population is there due to drug crimes; the war against drugs is obviously a failure (and a very expensive one). I am torn on this issue because even marijuana can be extremely dangerous to one’s mental health…but ultimately we are all responsible for what goes into our bodies.

I want to see longer sentences for violent crimes, and crimes against society like drug trafficking, pimping, fraud, child abuse etc.
1- Yes, build more prisons. Let non-violent criminals “work” their way out. (Our roadsides could use more grooming, tree planting, vegetable pickers, graffiti cleaners). Prisoners could grow and process their food…
2- Parole more people who are no danger to society and who are not likely to re-offend, for example women who hacked up their hubbies after years of abuse, really don’t belong in prison for 15 years. Re: Kingston.
3- Decriminalize drugs intended for personal use. I don’t agree with legalizing them.

One study of crime stats in Quebec on youth, claimed the rate was going down, until it was discovered that more and more crimes were not being reported.
I wonder if that is the case everywhere.

2) when I lived in Arizona you would occasionally see Sheriff Joe Arpaio’s chain gangs working on the side of the highway picking up litter. Totally voluntary, participants got consideration for “good behavior” as a reward.

I mostly agree with both Patti and Tony. We need more prisons and jails and I propose that, by law, there be at least one in every municipality in the country, preferably close to the city center/municipal hall — that will eliminate the scaremongering nimbyists and the don’t-touch-my-property-value toffs.

And we need to get recreational drugs off the criminal offense list. That’s gonna take some doing, because first we need to criminalize political graft and lobbying by large corporations, including Big Pharma. There’s a long history of abuse of the ciizens by pharmaceutical companies who see recreational drugs as a threat to their bottom line (and there’s a long list of actual medical uses for those recreational drugs, including LSD and marijuana, that both the governments and those companies do not want you to see). As Tony says, we all need to be personally responsible for what goes into our own bodies, so we all need the freedom of choice.

We also really need to stop compiling racially slanted statistic lists. I don’t care what color your skin is; if you rob someone with violence, I want your ass in a cell for a long time! Joe Arpaio has a tendency to go a little overboard in some areas, but he does actually have a lot of really good ideas.

Prisoners should be allowed to “educate” themselves out of prison, thru voluntary class attendance I’ve noticed the better educated that one is, the lower the chance that they will end up in prison.
I’ve also noticed that as time goes on, the police are turning their animosity onto the average citizen, in lieu of befriending them.

We have laws and are hesitant to apply them to the full extent.
i.e: Bank robbery=3 years & out in less than 12 months.
i.e: Drug trafficking… in prison?
i.e: DUI/homicide= Time served! or:
i.e: DUI/ 7 innocent teens killed instantly on way home from school- Drunk driver (not 1st offence) sentenced to less than 10 years.

It makes me laugh when people are mad when they get traffic tickets.

I have no idea what to do, but whatever we are doing right now isn’t working!

Little Patti, a police state is one where, to protect law and order, citizens rights are curtailed by undue and harsh repressive measures such as abusive imprisonment, mandatory sentences not taking certain circumstances into account and giving police, such as Mr Arpaio ever power to curb free expression and freedom of movement.
And Canada under Harper is going there.

Thanks Paul. That doesn’t sound at all like Canada to me.
I agree that there has been an abuse of rights and power in terms of police against protesters recently.
On the other hand “how do you separate the sheep from the goats in the middle of a riot?” When a riot breaks out, people shouldn’t run into it, but away from it, unless of course they want to get involved.
There has also been an abuse of property & rights by rioters i.e: Vancouver.
It seems that mandatory sentencing is not at all mandatory. Recently several “Hells” walked.

I’m right back to where I ended the last comment “I have no idea what to do…etc”.
except-here’s a thought: A better class of parents could bring up a better class of kids! That’s it! Mandatory parenting classes! 🙂

Patti, I’ll go you one better than mere classes: exams and licenses in order to become parents! Fail your exams and you get no license. Get pregnant without license and you have a choice: abort or give it up for adoption to those who are licensed but infertile.

Well, that suggestion ought to make the fur and feathers fly for awhile… 😉

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